The Weekly Recap
Well friends, I made it through my first week post vacation and managed to actually feel a level of competence! Getting back into the proverbial swing of things at my job took a (surprisingly) significant amount of mental energy. BUT it was also the magical day of August 23rd wherein (it felt like) every romance novel I have ever wanted to read finally hit the shelves. After FULLY stocking my TBR (sorry to all my ARCs) and fully immersing myself in the daily book twitter drama & discourse, I ended up reading some great ones again this week!
Here we go…
Ariana by Ash Dylan (Free with KU)
Quick, enjoyable queer polyamory romance with two bi male leads! Set in a post apocalyptic US a princess who’s been locked away must marry to free herself, but all her suitors keep “accidentally” dying. Ash Dylan is consistently the most hilarious person on twitter and his romances are not only steamy as hell but surprisingly tender. Get into them!
Chosen by a Sinner by Michelle Heard (Free with KU)
I read this one in a single sitting, and regret nothing. My 2022 go-to pallet cleanser reads are mafia romances. And this one was actually REALLY freaking sweet. It was way softer than most mafia romances tend to be, so if you’re looking for a dark romance with a MMC that is kind of a dickhole, keep on scrolling. Luca is a major marshmallow and down bad for Mariya.
Lev by Belle Aurora (Free with KU)
This book wanted to be good and it just wasn’t. It also needed a copy editor, badly. This is my second r/romancebooks reddit rec in as many weeks that has been JUST a skooch disappointing. I love my fellow reddit weirdos but this one is on me, I should have DNF’d almost immediately.
Seal Salvation by Elle James
My review of this book is that I forgot I read it.
The Bachelor Betrayal by Maddison Michaels
The surprise of 2022 has been finding Maddison Michaels. This is book two of the Secrets, Scandals and Spies and it’s JUST as enjoyable as Livie and Sebastians book. We have a prolific assassin, working together to end the baddies, pining but make it historical, the woman is more competent in the unaliving arts, someone comes back from the “dead”, and knives! Like I said, it’s perfect.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
I have been WAITING so long for this book and it DOES NOT disappoint. “Hello Hart-Ache.” “Hello Merciless”. A grumpy Marshall and a sunshine-y undertaker who aren’t fond of each other, end up falling in love through anonymous letters. Oh my word my heart was SO invested in this just wonderful romance. She has plot. She has humour. She’s got queer rep. She’s got a magical mail system. And how lonely Hart is, oof. Watching them fall in love is so sweet and the tension in the 3rd act works, but prepare for some tears. But fear not, all is well with Hart and Mercy.
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
I read and really enjoyed the #reylo fanfic turned viral sensation that was The Love Hypothesis, so I (like the basic btch I am) grabbed this and tucked into it expecting basically TLH part 2. Listen Ali clearly knows her demographic. She writes well, and her romances are essentially the same story over and over again. Large redwood of a man who is broody and poor at verbal communication (and maybe a little bit of a dick?) is SO IN LOVE with the very small (y’all so tiny, you will be told this repeatedly) female main character. And guess who eats this sh*t up: me. I dunno if it scratches some stupid part of my lizard brain but I like these, even if they are repetitive. Shrugs in STEM.